Monument record 0001800000 - DESBOROUGH CASTLE

Summary

Medieval ringwork known as Desborough Castle surviving as earthworks and known from historic records

Protected Status/Designation

Ancient Monument 1020863: DESBOROUGH CASTLE (DBC7237)
Planning Notification Area: Remains of Iron Age hillfort and Medieval ringwork castle at Desborough Castle (DBC9571)

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Type and Period (2)

RINGWORK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
SIEGE CASTLE? (12th Century - 1100 AD to 1199 AD)

Description

Dimensions - Length 0017 m Width 0086
Plan Form - OVAL
FINE & WELL PRESERVED EXAMPLE. DEFENCES CONSIST OF SINGLE RAMPART & DITCH WITH BREAK IN MIDDLE OF SE SIDE (B5).
CASTLE AT WEST WYCOMBE MENTIONED 1210-11 (WINCHESTER PIPE ROLL) IS PROBABLY DESBOROUGH (B9). BUILDING REMAINS (B1,B5).
SUGGESTED AS A SIEGE CASTLE OF ANARCHY DATE; IT SEEMS OCCUPATION CEASES EARLY C13 (B17).
Reference to 'The Castle' in 1321 manorial records (B20).
Negative watching brief (B22).

Sources (23)

<1>SBC7319 Bibliographic reference: LANGLEY T 1797 HISTORY & ANTIQUITIES OF THE HUNDRE D OF DESBOROUGH PP2-8.
<2>SBC4305 Article in serial: R S Downs. 1883. 'DESBOROUGH CASTLE', IN RECS OF BUCKS 5. Vol 5. pp248-260.
<3>SBC289 Bibliographic reference: A Hadrian Allcroft. 1908. EARTHWORK OF ENGLAND. pp168, 442, 635.
<4>SBC15329 Bibliographic reference: VCH BUCKS 2 P24; 3 PP33,135. pp33, 135.
<5>SBC12711 Bibliographic reference: RCHM BUCKS 1 P318. p318.
<6>SBC6246 Bibliographic reference: J F Head. 1955. EARLY MAN IN SOUTH BUCKS. pp76, 168-9, Fig 6 (B).
<7>SBC11368 Unpublished document: Ordnance Survey Field Investigator. OS RECORD CARDS (FILED).
<8>SBC13890 Article in serial: C Saunders. 1971. 'THE PRE BELGIC IRON AGE IN THE CENTRAL & WESTERN CHILTERNS', IN ARCH J 128. Vol 128. p26.
<9>SBC13710 Bibliographic reference: D F Renn. 1973. NORMAN CASTLES IN BRITAIN (3RD EDITION). p350.
<10>SBC15040 Bibliographic reference: TAYLOR MR ROBERT T,1973.
<11>SBC5110 Verbal communication: Mike Farley (BCM). 1973. PERS COMM, JAN 1973, FOLLOWING FIELD VISIT.
<12>SBC13969 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 2002. SCHEDULING LISTS OF INSPECTORATE OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS.
<13>SBC16440 Verbal communication: WATTS MR R TO M E FARLEY 22 MAY 1979.
<14>SBC1280 Unpublished document: Buckinghamshire County Museum. BCM ACCESSIONS REGISTERS.
<15>SBC5855 Unpublished document: 1974. GREEN MR HERBERT TO C N GOWING OCT 1974 (SEE CORRESPONDENCE ETC..
<16>SBC6192 Bibliographic reference: HBMC AUG 1986.
<17>SBC3093 Article in serial: Mark Collard. 1988. 'EXCAVATIONS AT DESBOROUGH CASTLE, HIGH WYCOMBE, 1987', IN RECS OF BUCKS 30 PP15-41 (& SEE SOUTH MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGY 18 PP28-29). Vol 30.
<18>SBC3098 Verbal communication: COLLARD M JAN 1989 (& SEE SITE ARCHIVE ETC FILED).
<19>SBC11612 Verbal communication: PATERSON H (DOE FIELD MONUMENTS WARDEN) SEPT 1991 (PHOTO FILED).
<20>SBC20161 Bibliographic reference: A Short History with Description of the Parish of West Wycombe. p18.
<21>SBC23407 Article in serial: Michael Farley. 2009. 'How large was the Iron Age 'hillfort' at Desborough Castle, West Wycombe?', in Recs of Bucks 49 pp235-238. Vol 49.
<22>SBC24515 Unpublished document: Albion Archaeology. 2012. Desborough Castle Play Area, High Wycombe: Archaeological Watching Brief.
<23>SBC25142 Article in serial: Michael Farley. 2016. 'The Probable Hillfort at Desborough, and a Hundredal Meeting Place Revisited', in Recs of Bucks 56 pp143-144. Vol 56.

Location

Grid reference	Centred SU 8471 9331 (145m by 122m) (Centred on)
Civil Parish	HIGH WYCOMBE, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (6)

Related Events/Activities (4)

Event - Survey: Site visit (EBC13950)
Event - Intervention: Trial trenching (Ref: WDC 87) (EBC1081)
Event - Intervention: Watching brief (Ref: DC1873) (EBC17671)
Event - Intervention: Watching brief (Ref: WDC 87) (EBC17408)

Record last edited

Oct 28 2019 3:25PM